


i'm only me because of you

by chocolavi



Series: Kagehina Week 2020!! [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Body Worship, Dirty Jokes, Drunken Confessions, Established Relationship, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Romance, Schweiden Adlers vs MSBY Black Jackals game, The Schweiden Adlers Ship Kagehina SO Hard, Words of Affirmation, locker room shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:13:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22855288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolavi/pseuds/chocolavi
Summary: “Eeeeh” Hinata whines, stumbling over to Kageyama, placing a hand on each side of him against the lockers, effectively trapping him.“Is that really the first thing you want to say to me after I come back?”Kageyama looks down at him, unamused. “Technically the first thing you said to me was ‘bathroom break?’ If I recall correctly.”
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou (mentioned), Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Series: Kagehina Week 2020!! [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788559
Comments: 148
Kudos: 1891
Collections: HQ Feels (Mostly M or E), Haikyuu Fanfiction Archive, Kagehina





	1. half a heart and you complete it

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Emlee_J](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emlee_J/gifts).



> Big uwus and heart eyes to MJ for betaing this (very) patiently so that you can understand my incoherent babbling. And also much love to mushroom for the moral support ><
> 
> Big love to Emily bc her fics make me SO soft and she's the entire reason I started writing this since I have absolutely nO confidence in my writing skills to portray kagehina's complete unabashed love for each other.

“ _Hinata-_ ”

“I’ll come back to you, I _promise_.”

* * *

  
  


Kageyama is the first to the stadium, looking around at the thousands of seats surrounding the volleyball courts. He’s been here four times already, for the exhibition matches and whatnot, but today it feels different. Everything feels different, and he knows exactly why. 

“It’s today, huh?” Ushijima says, joining him on the court.

“Yeah.”

“You won’t disappoint him.”

Kageyama lets his lips quirk upward slightly at the edges. “Yeah,” he exhales, “thanks.” It doesn’t make the violent butterflies in his chest die down at all though. 

He returns to the changing rooms, listening as his coach gives them their daily strategy run through. This isn’t different, he reminds himself, grateful that at least volleyball could grant him consistency. From what he’s heard, part of the other team hasn’t arrived yet; some delay on their side about traffic. He knows they’ll make it; they have to.

“Kageyama, go run a lap.” 

Coach Suzaku’s voice is loud and clear, and Tobio has heard that phrase enough times to know he doesn’t actually have to go run a lap. It means he needs to calm down. He doesn’t take offence to comments like that now, unlike in junior high. He knows they’re just being nice. He knows they care. A stupidly cute spiker taught him that. 

He bows to his team and makes his way to the bathroom because what else can he do? He’s scared. He’s _so_ _fucking_ _scared_ and he doesn’t even know why.

“Bathroom break?”

Kageyama whips his head back so fast he might as well have given himself whiplash, but fortunately, he doesn’t. The voice is loud and clear, bubbly with the barest hint of a tease. He’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Hinata,” he says breathily, so much of everything in that one name. Hinata is...right there. He’s taller—so much taller Kageyama almost wants to sob like his mom did when she forgot to document the three-centimetre growth spurt he went through during the training camp in high school. He missed all that, the growth spurt Hinata could only dream of in high school, the time Hinata spent in the sun, tanning his skin, the workouts he did to make his jersey fill out _that_ tightly. Everything about Hinata is...bigger now. His arms, his chest, and oh god—his thighs. Hinata has _always_ had great thighs, but now—Kageyama can’t even hide how obviously he’s ogling this boy.

“Yeah right,” Kageyama calls back snarkily, any sort of nervousness dissipating into thin air. It’s miraculous, really, the fact that this boy—no, _man_ can make him want to cry and feel like he’s won nationals all at the same time. “You sure _you’re_ not still running to the bathroom before games?”

“Never,” Hinata grins, and Kageyama feels adrenaline rush through him. “I’m not the same as I was back then Kageyama.”

Kageyama wants to tell him _he knows_ . He can see the difference—it’s screaming in his face. He wants to reach out and _touch_ him, to remind himself that this is real, that Hinata is standing in front of him. He doesn’t of course, and Hinata doesn’t make an effort to either.

They both know they won’t let go if they do.

  
  


The next time Kageyama sees him is in the starting lineup, and his chest puffs with pride, because _there he is._ Hinata’s smile is so wide it’s impossible for Kageyama to contain any of the emotion he feels, and it ends up in a weird combination of a smile and a smirk. They line up, and it isn’t until his body is moving on autopilot toward Hinata in a firm handshake that he realises that this is _real._ This isn’t another one of his dreams _or_ nightmares. This is reality, _his_ reality.

“I’m gonna win.”

“Me too.”

Kageyama doesn’t know how Hinata is going to win if _he_ is going to win, but if there is a way, Kageyama hopes it does happen. It’s kind of dumb, but it’s okay because he’s kind of dumb too, not that he’d ever admit it to Hinata. Hinata’s hand is rough and calloused, but he loves it because it’ll give him an excuse to hold it later. There is nothing Kageyama wants to do more than that—except play volleyball with him of course. They get into position, and it’s obvious Hinata is a crowd favourite. He’s not short, but he’s definitely the shortest on the court, and there’s nothing the crowd loves more than a cute, handsome spiker with orange hair—or maybe that’s just Kageyama’s type. 

Kageyama serves first, and he knows exactly where he’s going to direct it to. He’s played this moment over and over in his head because he knows their rotations are bound to match like this at some point. It’s not a personal move, it’s a game strategy that just happens to aligns perfectly because Hinata is standing right there, a fire burning in his eyes, challenging Kageyama to aim for him. 

And so he does. 

The moment Hinata connects Kageyama can’t do anything but let that smirk on his face evolve into a full grin, because _that’s his boyfriend._ Well, not anymore, technically, but he’ll fix that later. 

The only moment in the game that wipes the grin off Kageyama’s face is when Hinata uses _their_ quick against him _._ He has about a half-second to react because it’s _that fast,_ and all Kageyama can do is stare agape at him and Miya Atsumu. 

He almost goes into a slump, because damn if that was a punch in the gut. He feels anger spark in his fingertips, aching to slam a ball into the ground because _wasn’t that their thing??_ But he knows, he remembers, that Hinata is fully capable of growing without him. Hinata taught him that more than anything else, with all the extra effort he put in where Kageyama was given a free pass (not that he’d ever say it was free, though). So he just turns to his teammates—because they’re _all_ on the court _with_ him. He isn’t alone. He knows that now, too, and he’s known that ever since his first year at Karasuno.

“Don’t mind, we’ll get the next one.” 

Kageyama can only grin and get back into position.

But then Hinata goes and does a jump serve and Kageyama just about is ready to fucking _die_ on the spot. The sight of Hinata _flying_ as he serves is completely unrivalled to anything else in the world. He wishes he was exaggerating.

  
  


***

The Schweiden Adlers lost to the Black Jackals that day, and Kageyama could not be more proud. Of course, he’s irritated that he didn’t practice more because obviously, he wanted to win. He wanted to show Hinata that he’s improved too, that he’s been working _just_ as hard as him because if he’s being honest with himself, he could have never done what Hinata did. 

There are no tears in his eyes when they line up. After all, even his team is not invincible; they’ve lost more than a few times by this point to international teams. But this is the first time they’ve lost to a fellow division one team in the Japanese pro leagues, and Kageyama really should feel more conflicted about this, but if anyone is capable, or deserving of beating them, it’s the team Hinata is carrying. He’s positive about that. 

He doesn’t get to see Hinata for a while after his team leaves the courts. Suzaku-san isn’t especially harsh on them; they lost the game fair and square, not because of any of their individual faults, but because their team plays were not as effective as their individual plays. They’re all in the locker rooms, talking amongst each other, and most of them seem frustrated at the loss, but definitely inspired to some extent. 

“Your boyfriend got an upgrade.” 

Kageyama turns around to see Hoshiumi clearly pouting, and it’s kind of endearing since Kageyama remembers repeatedly telling him that Hinata went to Brazil to get better, not to run away. He would _never_ run away. 

“Yeah, he might even be taller than you now,” he retorts.

“No fucking way,” Hoshiumi challenges, and Kageyama just shrugs. 

He watches as Hoshiumi sprints over to Wakatoshi, about to ask about Hinata’s new and updated height measurement. Kageyama almost wants to follow discreetly because he realises he actually doesn’t know. The most he’s seen of Hinata has been the MSBY Black Jackals advertisements and his Instagram posts—both not very enlightening in terms of Hinata’s height. Besides, Kageyama wanted to rediscover every new and old inch of Hinata for himself.

They come to the conclusion that Hinata is in fact, not taller than Hoshiumi because for some unknown reason, despite being the closest to the opposite hitter, Kageyama did not know that Ushijima religiously reads the volleyball monthly magazine, and Hinata’s athlete biography was apparently featured last month. 

He doesn’t read those magazines anymore after Hinata told him that he could just follow those people on Instagram and find out news about them directly from themselves. That’s another habit he adopted from Hinata without really realising it. 

“Are you going to go see him?” Ushijima asks, clearing his locker without making any unnecessary eye contact. 

“After his team’s after-party—most probably,” Kageyama answers, because Hinata has never been one to turn down a party, especially after a proud victory like that. Kageyama isn’t going to take that away from him, even if Hinata says he wants to, because he wants Hinata to enjoy this victory for as long as he can until he takes it back—with his team of course.

“You’re really stupid if you think I’m going to some after-party when I haven’t seen my best friend in like—five million years.” 

“How the _fuck_ are you in our changing room?” Kageyama spins around, midway taking off his shirt. He knows the Adler’s locker room has extra security that even a top-class redhead decoy can’t bypass miraculously.

It takes a moment for the entire team to go silent and just stare at the intruder before their eyes all divert to Kageyama, smirks plastered over their lips. Ushijima looks between them, (the only good friend) and nods at Hinata in acknowledgement before gathering the rest of their snickering teammates (they know how whipped Kageyama is for the tangerine) and escorting them out of the room. 

Hinata is leaning against the doorframe of the locker room, his arms crossed, looking mildly amused at the sight of Kageyama changing. It takes a lot for Kageyama not to just pull him close and crash their lips together right there and then.

“Stop being a perv. Seriously, how the heck did you get in here?”

“Eeeeh” Hinata whines, stumbling over to Kageyama, placing a hand on each side of him against the lockers, effectively trapping him.“Is that really the first thing you want to say to me after I come back?”

Kageyama looks down at him, unamused. “Technically the first thing you said to me was ‘bathroom break?’ If I recall correctly.”

That elicits a groan from Hinata, and Kageyama chuckles, tilting Hinata’s head up and pressing their lips together, gently, innocently. But of course, Hinata is impatient with everything except volleyball, and _especially_ Kageyama, and then they’re grabbing at each other in a matter of seconds, hands tangled in silky black hair and brilliant orange hair. 

“You’ve been in the sun a lot,” Kageyama murmurs, kissing down Hinata’s neck, his fingers touching, exploring the new freckles splayed across his shoulders. Hinata’s hair is lighter too—definitely highlighted a few shades by the Brazillian sunshine. “Not that I’m complaining.” Hinata laughs, and it’s music to his ears. God, he’s missed this so much. 

“You can’t really play beach volleyball indoors Tobio.” 

Kageyama groans this time, pinching Hinata’s side because _I thought we agreed no first names until we get back together?_ It was a necessity really, now that he thinks about it. They’d taken ‘a break’ (whatever that meant) the entire time Hinata was away, and apparently that included no calls unless there was an emergency, no texts, and no interactions. At the time it sounded like torture to him, but thinking about it now, with Hinata clutching him so desperately, he thinks it was worse for Hinata than it was for him. After all, it must have been hard dropping everything and moving away. Having Hinata pine after him would have only made it harder, and there was no way Kageyama would have had the willpower to tell him to stay there if Hinata had called him at three in the morning crying about wanting to go home. 

In fact, Kageyama was pretty sure he would have bought Hinata a flight ticket back for the next morning. It’s things like that, that makes him think Hinata knows him better than he knows himself. That would explain why Hinata was so adamant about it all. “No contact!! Okay?? Even if I text you a million times saying I want to come home!!” He would laugh at the memory if it wasn’t associated with such intense feelings of missing his boyfriend. 

“You’re literally making out with me right now-” Hinata mutters between kisses. “Do you want me to get down on one knee and ask you out or something?”

“Maybe not one knee, but you can get down on both and do what you’re best at.”

Hinata pulls away, looking up at Tobio with a raised eyebrow and a quirk to his lips. “You want me to suck your dick in the changing rooms?” 

“You’re right, let’s do it in front of everyone.”

“Shut up, I hate you.”


	2. part of me I never knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s funny.”
> 
> Hinata raises an eyebrow. “What is?”
> 
> “The fact that you think you could ever disappoint me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments all make me uwu ;-; thank u guys sm ><

Hinata does not end up sucking Kageyama’s dick in the changing rooms, though they do have a very intense makeout session followed by very frantic knocking on the door before security barges in, looking for “Hinata Shouyou from MSBY Jackals?? We got word that he went in this direction.”

“Ah, he’s not here,” Kageyama replies, pretending he didn’t just have his tongue in said man’s mouth five seconds ago. 

They leave without much trouble after that. 

“So, you’re really not going to the after-party?” Kageyama asks as he fumbles with his phone, texting his team to leave without him (not that they even waited).

“You’re really asking me if I want to choose between my boyfriend and a party?”

“Hinata-”

“Shouyou.” Hinata corrects because he’s back now, and the last thing he wants is to waste any time.

“Fine, Shouyou. Seriously, you’re going to regret not cherishing your victory before I take it back.” 

“That’s a bold proclamation coming from someone who just lost,” Hinata answers, sipping on the straw of the strawberry milk he just stole from Kageyama’s gym bag.

Kageyama sighs, taking out another box of chocolate milk (he has all four flavours stocked in the bag) and swapping it with Hinata because Hinata likes chocolate a whole lot more than he does strawberry. “It’s the truth though,” Kageyama says confidently. 

Hinata accepts the chocolate milk appreciatively and looks at Kageyama. “Then, do you want to go to the party with me?”

Maybe six years ago, the answer to that question would have been obvious. Kageyama hates social interaction. He hates loud music, hates drunk people (except drunk Hinata and maybe sometimes Ushijima because they’re both very entertaining to watch), and hates feeling absolutely awkward because he doesn’t know how to dance. But six years later, with Hinata dragging him along to party after party, forcing him to tolerate people, and teaching him how to act around others (that is, to not glare at them), he thinks the answer isn’t so obvious anymore.

“If you want me to,” he answers, and of course Hinata takes that as a yes, because he’ll continue to push Kageyama’s boundaries, discovering every part of Kageyama along with Kageyama himself. 

**

Hinata gets back from the party absolutely shit faced. Kageyama isn’t exactly sober either, but he knows he’s more sober altogether than any single cell in Hinata’s bloodstream right now. Hinata has been drunk far too many times for his age, and by now Kageyama knows that if Hinata is drinking, he can’t _ever_ be the drunk one.“Shou, at least let me carry you if you can’t walk straight.”

“I c-can walk fineee...” Hinata answers, practically clinging and leaning onto Kageyama with his entire weight, and while Hinata is by no means fat, he is nowhere as light as he was five years ago, condensed and firm muscle replacing his baby soft self. Kageyama reminds himself to start working out his arms more, he wants to be able to pick Hinata up fairly easily at a time like this (and other times that require long periods of lifting Hinata up against walls that he will not explicitly say out loud even in his head) . 

Kageyama just sighs, stopping to reposition Hinata so he can slide an arm under Hinata’s thighs, and another to support his back, effectively carrying him. Kageyama actually feels proud for seven seconds before he starts swaying because he too, is far from sober. 

They both end up on the grass, Hinata giggling like a five-year-old girl and Kageyama groaning like a grandpa that just kicked his back out. Kageyama is pretty sure they’re only five minutes away from his hotel, and he has no idea where Hinata’s hotel is—not that he was planning on sending Hinata back that night anyway. He faintly recalls Bokuto asking him if he wanted a ride, and he sort of regrets not taking him up on that offer. _Fuck drinking games._

“Tobioo-oh, why are we on the ground?” Hinata asks, rolling over so they’re both on the ground side by side looking at the sky. 

They probably look like two idiots, because they’re not even in a park or anything. They’re literally on a sidewalk that just happens to have a stretch of grass for decorative purposes. If anyone decided to take a walk at two in the morning, they’d probably think Hinata and him were killed and left for dead. 

“Because you’re heavy,” Kageyama retorts because there’s no way he’s going to admit the reason they fell was his inability to stay upright.

Hinata shuffles beside him and somehow clambers on top of him so they’re pressed against each other, chest to chest. It kind of reminds him of their sleepovers in high school. Hinata likes to sleep on top of him, his arms locked around Kageyama’s neck and his legs folded so he’s basically curled around Kageyama, his face buried in the crook of his neck. Tobio can’t even count how many nights they fell asleep like that, not that he was ever keeping count anyway. He was not going to let tonight add to that number though, so he just groans. “Shou, we’re not at home yet, don’t go to sleep here-”

“I missed you so much.”

Kageyama suddenly feels very sober, and very very very fond. 

“W-Was it worth it?

Kageyama struggles to follow Hinata’s flow of thought, because while it’s already haphazardly arbitrary when he’s sober, Hinata’s drunk thoughts are a whole other creature. “Was what worth it?”

Hinata is silent for a moment, and Kageyama thinks he’s fallen asleep, but Hinata’s breath hitches like he’s about to cry and Kageyama suddenly has all the strength in the world to sit up with Hinata on top of him, looking at him concerned. “Oi, Shouyou-”

“Was my playing worth me leaving to go to Brazil?”

Hinata’s voice is barely a whisper, but Kageyama can hear the burden of that question far better than he should. “Is that even a question?” He asks, running his thumb over Hinata’s cheek. “You were amazing.”

Hinata sobs into his shoulder and Kageyama has trouble distinguishing between 21-year-old Hinata and the five-year-old kids he sees crying to their parents on the playground every Saturday on his evening run. He’s not complaining though, he loves this boy with every fibre of his being, alcohol breath, and everything. 

Kageyama by nothing short of a miracle gets Hinata on his back and successfully manages to get back to the hotel room, collapsing on the bed with the redhead next to him. His arms are sort of sore and his neck hurts, but his heart has never been fuller. “Shouyou, get up. You need to go drink water and brush your teeth or you’re going to hate yourself in the morning.” 

Hinata doesn’t even budge, and honestly, Kageyama doesn’t think he’s going to wake up anytime soon. He gets up and goes to change himself, brushing his teeth and debating whether or not to undress Hinata. He decides on just undoing his button-up shirt because he doesn’t want Hinata to throw up on it tomorrow (not because he just wants to undress his boyfriend) and folds it neatly before setting it aside and getting into bed with him, pulling the covers over the both of them.

**

Kageyama wakes up at the break of dawn, the first sunlight hitting his windows paired with the intense sound of someone throwing up, and he already knows who it is.

“You okay?” He calls out.

“Perfect!” Hinata replies right before throwing up again into the toilet.

Kageyama sighs, grabbing a headband from his suitcase (he uses them when he’s studying because his hair gets in the way sometimes) and makes his way over to Hinata, sliding the accessory into his hair so it doesn’t get in his face. He crouches next to him, rubbing circles on his back as Hinata continues to heave.

“Sorry- this isn’t exactly how I imagined our reunion would end up,” Hinata mutters, resting his head against his arm.

“Really? This is exactly how I predicted it would end up the moment we stepped into that party with Bokuto and Miya on the stripper poles.”

“For the record, Bokuto was only doing it to impress Akaashi.” Hinata replied, standing up to flush the toilet and rinse his mouth in the sink. “Atsumu was just being Atsumu.”

“They’re already engaged though, aren’t they?” Kageyama asks, standing up (and purposely avoiding the topic of Atsumu).

“Yep.” Hinata grabs one of the hotel’s spare toothbrushes and toothpaste, smearing a good amount of it before sticking it into his mouth. “The wedding is in three months, remember? I sent you the invite through the mail.” 

“You did?” Well, to be fair Kageyama rarely checks his mail, and by rarely he means never.

“Yesh! A while agow too!” Hinata exclaims with the toothbrush way too far down his throat than humanly possible. Kageyama doesn’t say anything though. Hinata’s lack of a gag reflex is something Kageyama gets to appreciate whenever Hinata feels particularly excited. 

“Guess I better start clearing that day out of my schedule then.” 

Hinata hums in appreciation, and Kageyama heads back to the bed to check his phone for anything he might have missed. He’s got a text from their coach telling them they have a week off, several smirky faces from his teammates, and a thumbs-up emoji from Ushijima. Bokuto sent him a text too, confirming they made it home alive, though he had been far too wasted the night before to even think about replying. 

Hinata makes quick work to undress in front of him shamelessly, shifting through his suitcase for a shirt and settling on one he _knows_ will be oversized because Kageyama is a sucker for that. He settles himself between Kageyama’s legs like he hasn’t grown at all because somehow Hinata _still_ fits perfectly slotted between him. Kageyama puts his phone aside, slinking back into the sheets, pulling Hinata down with him. 

“You were talking some utter bullshit last night.”

“Was I?” Hinata hummed, trying to recall the memories from last night. “I remember falling on the ground and crying for a bit, but what’s new about that?”

“Do you know what you said?” Kageyama asks, turning on his side to look at the ginger, his elbow cushioned under his own head. 

“A faint idea.” 

They’re quiet then. Hinata looks up at him with glazed hazel brown eyes, and Kageyama looks right back at him with the piercing blue gaze of every ocean in the world, because Kageyama is concerned, and he wants Hinata to talk. He can do that now; the talking. He used to hate it, because he was never good at it. He prefers shoving someone or ignoring them over using words if they piss him off. Of course, he never had any real friends because of that. He was fine with that, he thinks. He would have managed somehow, rather lonely, but he would have managed; but he has to admit this is a million times better. He can remember each and every time he fought—not bickered, but actually fought with Hinata, and every time it was Hinata that dragged his stubborn ass out, whether it was in the freezing cold or in the wee hours of the morning. It was Hinata that sat down with him and forced him to talk, it was Hinata that told him it was okay to be angry, that it was okay for him to scream and cry. 

So Kageyama prides himself on the fact that he’s the one prodding for Hinata to talk to him this time.

“It’s funny.”

Hinata raises an eyebrow. “What is?”

“The fact that you think you could ever disappoint me.” Hinata exhales heavily, his breath shaky. Kageyama hopes he can get through to him, even if he can’t put on a big smile and shower Hinata with compliments like Hinata does for him. 

“I know we won,” Hinata says quietly, “but watching you play...it was like you were a different person. I just...wanted to show you that I improved too—that I wasn’t wasting my time in Brazil.”

Kageyama looks at him like he’s crazy. He props himself up on his elbow looking down at his boyfriend. “I’m the one that’s changed? Shouyou, are you blind? _You_ of all people should know that you did not waste a single second of your time there.” He has to hold back the urge to pull up the live stream of their game last night and show him every single second of the game again because there was not a moment during that game that Kageyama was not completely enamoured with Hinata’s plays.

“Tobio, you didn’t see what I saw. You were.... _amazing_. I couldn’t take my eyes off you, not for a single second.”

Kageyama drags a hand down his face, clearly exasperated. “You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” He grabs Hinata’s wrists in one swift movement, effectively pinning them on top of him with his left hand before slamming their lips together, his right hand anchoring at Hinata’s jaw as he kissed him. The kiss is angry and heated, and _can you blame him_ when Hinata is acting so stupid? He pulls back for a brief moment, frustration evident in his eyes as he looks down at Hinata. “Shō, if you don’t believe me, I’m just going to make you.” 

“No, you don’t under-”

“I’ll take that as a no,” Kageyama says bluntly before his lips are back on Hinata’s, his hand sliding between his thighs, grasping at them tightly because damn it, he’s been given a chance there’s no way he’s not gonna take it. Hinata’s voice is muffled because his mouth is now very involved with whatever Kageyama is doing there—he’s not very sure because Hinata’s thighs are most definitely a gift from god and he’s gripping them tightly enough that he can hope there’s some sort of mark there when he’s done with them. 

“Tobio, wait-” Hinata gasps as they separate. 

“ _For what?”_ Because Kageyama cannot think of a single rational reason why he should wait. Regardless, he sighs, leaning forward so their foreheads touch. “Hinata you clearly don’t see what I see in you, so let me show you, yeah?” 

Kageyama can see the flash of hesitation play out on Hinata’s face before he nods. Kageyama is tentative too, because Hinata is being vulnerable for him—something he rarely does for anyone. Kageyama knows that best, because even after all these years, Kageyama _knows_ he’s the only one who’s seen Hinata like this. 

He runs a hand through Hinata’s hair gently, his fingers threading through every brilliant orange strand he touches. “Your hair’s shorter,” he starts, trying to maintain eye contact with Hinata as he speaks. “It’s lighter too.” He lets his hand trail down to Hinata’s cheeks, and he leaves it there because Hinata is so very handsome. “You lost your baby cheeks,” Kageyama says fondly because while those were fun to squeeze, Hinata’s jawline more than makes up for it now. “And you got the refined jawline you so desperately wanted in high school.”

Hinata smiles at that, because they both remember the nights they spent together with Hinata just poking Kageyama’s jaw, asking if he did any jaw exercises for that because “ _I want that toooooo!_ ” 

Kageyama trails his hands down to Hinata’s shoulders, and it’s Kageyama’s breath that hitches this time as he squeezes. “ _These,”_ he wheezes, “These were nowhere as broad as they are now.”

Hinata whines, actually whines, and Kageyama connects their lips together again, because Hinata is _not allowed_ to be anything but satisfied. He squirms under Kageyama’s touch, and then it’s Hinata’s hands that are grabbing at him, pulling him closer. Tobio obviously complies because when has he ever been able to resist the dumbass? He lets Hinata reposition them, and Kageyama swears that it should be a sport because Hinata can flip the both of them around without their lips separating even once. He straddles Kageyama and they separate, Hinata’s cheeks flushed a shade of pink that reminds Kageyama of the evening sky. 

“ _Okay_ , I get it,” Hinata laughs, and Kageyama doesn’t know if he’s said it already, but Hinata’s laugh really is like music to his ears. 

“Do you really?” Kageyama asks skeptically, sitting up and looking down at his boyfriend who’s hiding his face in his neck again.

“Maybe?” comes Hinata’s reply and that’s obviously Kageyama’s cue to continue because he’s not going to settle for ‘maybe’ and Hinata knows that too.

Kageyama slides his hands under the shirt Hinata is wearing (which all things considered, is _his_ shirt) and makes a show of doing it painfully slowly, not breaking eye contact because he _needs_ Hinata to know that he absolutely adores every inch of him. Kageyama can’t see where he’s touching, but like hell he needs to, because while Hinata may not have a full-on bulging six-pack (not that he wants one), he’s definitely built something there over the years. Hinata looks back at him, searching Kageyama’s eyes for a reaction as if Kageyama isn’t going to give it to him completely and utterly willingly.

Tobio pushes Hinata down, placing a knee in between Hinata’s legs (he’ll get to those later) as he rides his shirt up slowly, revealing the toned build that is Hinata’s rectus abdominis (he’s been studying, let him use his scientific vocabulary while he remembers it). “Do I even need to say anything about this?” Kageyama asks, leaning down to mouth kisses against Hinata’s stomach. Hinata arches his back a little and Kageyama has to actively resist the flood of memories associated with that particular motion.

“The last time I checked,” Kageyama runs his thumb across the firm outline of Hinata’s abs, “this was all just... soft.”

“Yeah, well the last time you checked I was also eighteen and in high school,” Hinata lets out a breathy laugh. “I also was missing a very intense ab workout.”

“Clearly.” 

He lets his hands roam on Hinata for a little longer than he needs to before he drags them lower, down to Hinata’s waist. There are two ways he can take this, but he has all the time in the world now, so he takes the longer route. Hinata already knows where his hands are headed and he doesn’t even try to hide the obvious glint in his eyes when Kageyama’s palms are firmly planted on his ass. 

“Do you even have anything to say for yourself?” Kageyama asks, because Hinata _knows_ Kageyama has always absolutely adored his ass.

“Not really,” Hinata says effortlessly, like having the best ass in the entire world just so happened to be a byproduct of his existence and Kageyama downright gropes him because that _definitely_ isn’t fair. Hinata lets out a puff of air as Kageyama continues kneading his ass, trailing kisses from his stomach to his thighs. 

Kageyama skips right through to his calves because he wants to save the best for last (not that Hinata’s calves are anything short of perfect). “How many jumps did it take for you to get these?” Kageyama massages his calves, thinking he’s probably enjoying it more than Hinata is, because his calves look like they’ve been sculpted by Michelangelo himself. They’re toned and lean, firm in all the right places.

Hinata tries to get a good estimate while Kageyama flutters kisses across his calves, and he really does try for about four seconds. “A hundred million?” He offers tentatively. Kageyama snorts somewhere below his knee, not saying anything in response, and Hinata is content to let him move at his own leisure. 

When Kageyama _finally_ returns to his thighs, Hinata is mildly amused, propping himself up on his elbows to watch Kageyama as he just studies the changes in his thighs. 

“You’re perfect,” Kageyama says, with all the seriousness in the world because it’s true, and Kageyama wouldn’t change a thing about him even if he was offered a lifetime of volleyball which was a _big_ deal (to him, at least).

“No, I’m really not,” Hinata laughs, “but thank you.”

Okay, maybe he’ll change one thing. 

“Shouyou.” Kageyama growls.

Hinata wills himself upward, meeting Kageyama’s eyes as they both sit facing each other. “I’m not saying I don’t like myself Tobio.” He lets out a soft exhale, trying to find the words he needs. “I just know I can improve.”

Kageyama can relate to that—the need for growth—to always be better, to improve every step of the way. He knows that better than anyone else. But just as he knows he can improve, he knows he is good. He recognizes that he worked hard to get where he is now, and he’s proud of that. And just as that applies to him, it applies to the man sitting in front of him. So that is something he works to teach Shouyou, because this is how they work. 

_You help me, and I help you._

Kageyama grips Hinata’s thighs tightly, giving himself a moment to appreciate the beautiful muscular work of art they are. “You don’t get these easily, Hinata,” He stops talking to look Shouyou in the eyes. “You don’t get _any_ of these easily,” Kageyama says, gesturing to his entire body. “You worked for them, stop invalidating that.” 

“Then will you admit you’re perfect too?” Comes Hinata’s unexpected reply, and Kageyama suddenly has the urge to get back under the covers and hide. 

“Because I think you’re perfect,” Hinata whispers softly.

Kageyama gets where he’s coming from, and he thinks it’s a little bit cheesy, because they’re both not perfect, and it’s unrealistic for either one of them to think they’re perfect. They both want to reach the top, and even when they do they will strive for more. They will strive to stay at the top, to stay at the top _together_.

“Okay,” Kageyama resigns, pulling Hinata in for another kiss. “We’re not perfect.” 

Hinata hums, clearly lost in thought again as Kageyama kisses him, and Kageyama doesn’t blame him. He feels Hinata slide an arm around his neck and he pulls the both of them down, lips connected with Kageyama on top of him, a soft ‘ _oof’_ resounding as Kageyama lands on top of him. 

“And that is why you don’t pull surprise attacks on people bigger than you.” Kageyama half-laughs, starting to lift himself off Hinata when the redhead pulls him back down. 

“You’re not _that_ heavy.”

Kageyama shoots him a skeptical look. “And you’re not _that_ cute.”

Hinata starts laughing and Kageyama can’t help but roll his eyes because he loves this guy and there’s nothing else in the world that could make him happier. Nothing. He’s perfect the way he is, and perfect for Kageyama. 

“I got it,” he mumbles, and Hinata looks at him with his eyes all crinkled from laughing and it makes Kageyama go weak in the knees.

“Got what?” Hinata asks, because obviously he has no idea what Kageyama’s genius brain has thought of.

“You’re perfect,” Kageyama starts, and Hinata scrunches his nose at him.“For me,” he finishes.

Hinata takes a moment to process it. And then he smiles. “For you?”

“For me.”

They’re kind of cheesy in the stop-it-i-want-to-gag kind of way (according to Tsukishima), but Kageyama really wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Tobio?” Hinata calls softly.

Kageyama looks at him in acknowledgement, because Hinata has his determined expression on, and Kageyama has known him far too long to not know the weight behind his next words.

“Let’s get married.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Is that sappy.enough.for.you??)


	3. i'm only me because of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know, in all the movies we’ve watched together, whenever the boyfriend sets up a picnic spread under the stars the other person typically doesn’t glare at the blanket like it's about to eat him,” Kageyama half snorts, flicking the spiker’s forehead. 
> 
> Hinata flinches, scrunching his face in response. “Oh...you did this?? For me??” Hinata asks, his eyes bright and wide.
> 
> “If you’re actually asking me that you’re not getting any of the meat buns we just bought.”
> 
> Hinata recants his question immediately, grabbing Kageyama’s hand as he pulls him down onto the blanket. “You wouldn’t.”
> 
> Kageyama snorts, seeing Hinata’s despaired expression. “Yeah, I wouldn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank u MJ for beta-ing!! <3

“Let’s get married.”

Kageyama’s heart drops, and his throat goes dry because he was  _ not _ ready for that. Well, the marriage part, yes he was, because the ring he got for Hinata is hidden somewhere in his own bag, ready for the epic proposal Kageyama had been planning for the entirety of the last five months. He’s spent  _ days _ scrolling through the internet, planning out the perfect day for them so that when Tobio finally pops the ring out Hinata will have tears in his eyes and say yes. 

Because Hinata deserves only the best of everything, and Kageyama will always try to give him exactly that. He’s kept track of every romance movie Hinata has ever liked in his journal, and he’s even asked Sugawara and Daichi for help. He has everything planned from them waking up to the types of flowers he’s going to have picked (not that sunflowers weren’t the obvious choice). His proposal was going to be everything Hinata wanted. 

Except now the entire plan isn’t happening because Hinata has just proposed to him right there and then.

“Tobio?” Hinata calls, a concerned note to his voice because apparently Kageyama still isn’t good at hiding his internal conflicts from playing out on his face.

Kageyama pinches himself. Hinata just proposed, he shouldn’t be thinking about anything else. “Yeah—okay.”

Kageyama can see a flash of hesitation play out on Hinata’s face before he quickly replaces it with a smile that makes Kageyama’s heart ache because he feels  _ so _ pathetic for sulking. That part of him hasn’t changed at all, he thinks.

Hinata—of course—hadn’t seemed to have planned for this semi-marriage proposal at all, which is why Kageyama has to drag him out of bed to go get the ring he stashed in his hotel room, not forgetting to take the ring  _ he _ bought and stuff it into his pocket on the way out the door. If anything, Kageyama is kind of glad Hinata forgot the ring so that he has some time to prepare himself for the moment he actually has to put it on. They’re silent the majority of the trip, which leaves a heavy weight in Tobio’s chest because this isn’t the silence they’re comfortable with. Even  _ he _ can sense that something is wrong, but whenever he glances over at Hinata the redhead seems to be busy doing something else, whether it’s talking to a stranger or typing away on his phone. Whenever he’s  _ not _ doing those things, he has an indifferent expression on, far, far away from his usual smile but enough of an upturn of his lips that it sufficed to stop Kageyama from obviously calling him out on it.

It isn’t until they’re alone in the elevator that Hinata puts his phone away and gives him a pointed look, eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong.”

The way Hinata asks him makes it seem less like a question and more like a statement. Kageyama doesn’t even know how to phrase his thoughts. What is he supposed to say? That he wanted Hinata to read his mind and  _ not _ propose out of nowhere?

“You ruined it.” Kageyama blurts out, just as the elevator doors open, because he definitely can’t tell Hinata that he had an _entire_ _day_ planned out for them _tomorrow_ so that Kageyama could propose to him at the end of it.

Hinata spins around to look at him. “What?” 

“You  _ knew _ I was going to ask you, dumbass.” 

Hinata stares at him bewildered as he scans his hotel room card against the door, a beeping noise resounding as they barge into the room.“Sorry??”

Kageyama massages his temples, trying to calm himself down because he really shouldn’t be stressing over this as much as he is. They both want to get married, he loves Hinata, and Hinata loves him. Why is he panicking again? As if on cue, Hinata lets out a sigh, flinging his shoes somewhere at the entrance before grabbing Kageyama by the hand and forcing him down on the bed. “Tobio, I can’t tell what you’re thinking unless you tell me.” Hinata sits down next to him, turning his body so he’s facing Kageyama and only Kageyama.

Kageyama runs a hand through his hair, trying to organise his thoughts. “I wanted to make you happy, you know? Like...those fancy proposals you get excited about whenever we used to watch movies.” Kageyama looks at him, meeting Hinata’s intense gaze. “And Kenma mentioned that you liked how Heitor’s wedding was in Brazil-”

“You asked  _ Kenma  _ about how to propose to me?”

“I mean, you didn’t let me talk to you so I had to ask him since he was one of the only people you kept in touch with.” 

“Tobio.” Hinata calls seriously, “If you think I could ever possibly not be happy when I’m getting  _ married _ to you, you’re going to have another thing coming.” Hinata gets up and rummages through his bags, pulling out a black ring box and sitting down next to him. “Look at me.” 

Kageyama obliges, glancing at the ring box Hinata is clutching tightly in his hands. He feels slightly guilty for putting this tension between them, but he knows Hinata isn’t mad at him. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why-”

“But I do.”

Kageyama looks at him confused, because what the heck does that mean? Even he doesn’t know what he means.

Hinata rolls his eyes and pushes Tobio flat on his back against the bed, laying down next to him. “You planned your proposal for me, right?” Hinata’s voice is feather light, without a single trace of concern or anxiety, a stark contrast to the heavy feeling Kageyama still has in his chest.

Kageyama nods, unsure where this is going.

Hinata interlocks their fingers and traces circles on the back of his palm. “Well, I planned mine for you, too.”

“Planned...?” Kageyama asks warily.

“I mean, I called your parents and did all that permission stuff. I know you prefer this over having a massive proposal in front of a million people—I do too— if I'm being honest. And I even asked your coach to give you time off this week. The rest of your team still has practice, in case you were wondering,” Hinata adds. “You did lose to us after all.”

“ _ What?” _

“And  _ before _ you get mad that I made you skip practice, let me just tell you that we have a week of joint practices followed by a practice match next month because of yours truly.” Hinata finishes proudly.

Before Kageyama even has time to be flabbergasted, Hinata is climbing  _ on top _ of him, hands pressed down either side of his head as he leans down, their faces centimeters apart. “So, let’s do this again,” Hinata whispers. He leans back, seating himself comfortably on Kageyama’s waist, grabbing the ring box next to them. He opens it slowly, taking out a silver wedding band and with his left hand taking Kageyama’s hand in his own. 

“Kageyama Tobio, six years ago you said we’d make it to the top together.” 

Kageyama’s lower lip is trembling so hard he can feel it pressing against his teeth.

“Now I’m going to ask you, will you stay at the top with me? For the rest of our lives?”

What is Kageyama gonna do? Say no??? He sits up, a hand going around Hinata’s waist to steady them. “God, I fucking hate you,” he murmurs. “Of course I will.” 

Hinata’s face lights up like a thousand stars and then Kageyama is pulling him into a kiss, not caring that Hinata is smiling widely like a dumbass. There’s more teeth clashing than kissing, but Kageyama wouldn’t change a thing for the world. 

“Let me put the ring on you!!” Hinata squeals, and Kageyama offers him his hand easily.

The ring is simple. It’s a titanium wedding band with a silver inlay, and Kageyama has to hold back the grin that’s threatening to split across his face because they’re (going to be) unintentionally matching. For now, he settles on watching Hinata slide the ring...on his index finger. 

“Shouyou I’m going to throw you across the room.”

Hinata lets out an affronted squawk. “What’d I do??”

“That’s the wrong finger  _ dumbass _ .”

When they finally get the ring on the right finger, Hinata takes a moment to stare at it, nervously fidgeting. “Do you like it?”

There’s no way Hinata can’t see that Kageyama is smiling like an idiot too, so Kageyama narrows his eyes at the question. “What do you think?”

Hinata huffs, spluttering to find his words. “Just because I like it doesn’t mean you do!” Hinata exclaims unconvincingly.

Kageyama sighs, pulling him into a hug. “I love it,” and Hinata hums in satisfaction before he lets out an audible groan somewhere in Kageyama’s shoulder.

“What??” 

“So I have to wait until tomorrow for my turn??”

Kageyama just laughs and shoves a pillow in his face, and there’s no way Hinata isn’t going to retaliate, grabbing a pillow of his own and launching himself onto the setter. Hinata thinks he’s successfully suffocated Kageyama for four seconds before he’s flipped over, giggling like an eight-year-old. 

“Are you trying to murder your boyfriend before you get married? You won’t even get any money that way,” Kageyama says, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Not like you even have that much money anyway,” Hinata retorts, sticking his tongue out in playful banter.

Kageyama does a double-take before he’s throwing the pillows away, replacing them with his fingers, tickling Hinata’s sides as he holds him down. “How on earth did you come to that conclusion?” 

“Wh-aAGh- s-stop!” Hinata thrashes beneath him, laughter echoing around the room, and while it’s far more of a struggle now than it was six years ago because of all the muscle he’s built, Kageyama manages to hold him down as the redhead squirms under his skittering fingers as they tease the surface of his skin. And as much as Hinata has grown, he’s just as ticklish as he was before, and in all the same places.

Hinata gasps in between the ‘oxygen-breaks’ Kageyama grants him, pleading, “wait- wait I’m sorry!!” He clutches his sides, holding them defensively against Kageyama. “It’s not my fault! I don’t  _ actually _ know how much you make!”

“What, you want to see my bank statement now? We’re not even married yet Shō, are you  _ sure _ you’re not marrying me for the money?”

Hinata wheezes, “What, are you offering to be my sugar daddy now?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Kageyama laughs, leaning down to kiss him. Hinata graciously accepts, sliding his arms around Tobio’s neck, pulling him closer. 

Getting Hinata worked up is surprisingly easy considering how touchy he is with everyone. Kageyama lets his hands travel down Hinata's sides, reaching his thighs, his fingers grazing the exposed skin as he lifts the hem of his shirt up, sliding it upward until the entirety of Hinata’s chest is exposed. His hands are cold, and Kageyama can feel the contrast through Hinata’s skin as he shivers from his touch. Hinata’s skin is warm, as it always is, and he hisses at Kageyama through the kiss as Tobio brushes his thumb over one of the redhead’s erect nipples.

“Your hands are _fucking_ _cold_ ,” Hinata growls, proceeding to bite down on Kageyama’s lower lip.

“Then you better warm them up quick,” Kageyama warns, sliding his hand back up to Hinata’s face to angle him as he trails kisses down to the base of his neck. Kageyama stops there, pressing a light kiss before he sinks his teeth into his skin, sucking the skin trapped in between enough to leave the discolouration there for a good week. He can feel Hinata’s hands on him, one threaded in his hair and the other digging into his shoulder as Hinata cranes his neck even further to give Kageyama more access. 

The light in the room is somehow angled perfectly and Kageyama catches himself staring at his  boyfriend  fiancé as he literally glows in the daylight. Kageyama can see the freckles dotted across his shoulders now, as well as the fairly obvious tan lines running across his chest and shoulders in the shape of a tank top. Kageyama suddenly  _ really _ wants to see Hinata in a tank top.

“Are you going to just stare at me the entire morning?” 

His voice has a smirk to it and Kageyama rolls his eyes. “Shut up,” he says as he catches Hinata’s lips with his own in another kiss. 

Hinata’s hands are reaching desperately under his shirt now, and Kageyama helps him get rid of it altogether, because he has an inkling that Hinata is just as touch starved as he is—if not even more. Hinata’s hands are warm as they brush against his stomach, and he can literally feel Hinata flexing his fingers into his skin.

“Are you really assessing how tight my abs are?”

“Hey, you worked hard for these, at least let me appreciate them if you won’t.” 

Kageyama just gives him a skeptical look and Hinata continues anyway. Kageyama lets him explore as he wants, letting his own eyes take in every part of Hinata he’s missed over the years. He spots a scar right under Hinata’s right pec. It’s not big at all, but Kageyama is certain that it wasn't there before. 

“Where’d you get this from?” he asks, thumbing the scar lightly. 

Hinata takes a moment to realise what he’s talking about before looking at the scar himself and laughing. “That happened the first week I moved there. Apparently you can’t play  _ anywhere _ on a beach even though it’s called beach volleyball. They have to clear out the rocks and pebbles in the sand before you can play. I didn’t know that, so I dived for a receive and a rock scratched me.”

“...You’re a dumbass, you know that?”

Hinata grins and grabs his hand, pressing a kiss on his ring finger. “The dumbass you’re marrying apparently.”

Kageyama has to roll his eyes to stop himself from grinning in response. “Hell yeah, I am.”

***

Kageyama has seen a lot of attractive things in his life. He’s seen countless volleyball courts, volleyball shoes, volleyball  _ players  _ (they tended to be very attractive, though Kageyama can’t tell if it’s because they’re conventionally attractive or because they’re holding a volleyball), and yet he doesn’t think there’s anything more attractive than a  _ very _ out of breath Hinata Shouyou laying under him, bathed in the afterglow of their activities. Because faces flushed, bodies pressed against each other, there is nothing in the world that can make him feel the things Hinata makes him feel just by being there. 

“You know, I really don’t know how I was fine just ogling you through pictures and occasionally jerking off to your sponsorship features for an _entire_ _year_.”

Kageyama rolls his eyes, acting like he hasn’t done the exact same.“Well congratulations Ninja Shouyou, you did it.”

Hinata snickers at his nickname, “I seriously have no idea how that turned out to be my nickname.”

“Well, at least now you have one, after years of whining and crying about it.”

“I was  _ not _ crying about it. Whining, yes. Not crying,” Hinata corrected. “And I only wanted one because you had one and it was  _ suuuper cool _ .”

Kageyama props himself up on his elbow, shooting Hinata a pointed look. “It was not super cool to be called a tyrannical king  _ dumbass _ .”

Hinata turns on his side, facing Kageyama with a stupid grin on his face. “Yeah? Well you seemed to enjoy being a tyrannical king like  _ three minutes ago _ when you were—” He’s cut short when Kageyama claps a hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of his sentence. Hinata can see the tips of Kageyama’s ears are tinged pink and it makes Hinata’s heart do things. Heart-shrivel things. Bottom-lip-quiver things. It’s so like Kageyama to literally be on the national team and play in front of thousands of people, but still blush at subtle teases like that. Because no matter where they are in life or what they’ve done, Kageyama will always be Kageyama. And of course, Hinata will always be himself; so he swipes his tongue over Kageyama’s palm as he always does.

Except he realises two seconds later by the look on Kageyama’s face and the taste on his tongue that Kageyama’s fingers had just done some very unholy things to him, and licking his fingers wasn’t exactly the best idea.

“You  _ dumbass,  _ I haven’t-”

“I won’t die!! But maybe next time we should get it vanilla flavoured instead.”

Kageyama just sighs and gets up to wash his hands. “I swear you’re worse than a kid sometimes.”

There’s a pause as Hinata hears the running water in the bathroom. “Do you want to go somewhere with me?” Kageyama asks, and Hinata is too busy staring at his fiance’s back muscles to even notice. “Oi, are you even listening?”

Hinata perks up once Kageyama turns back around. “Hm? Sorry, didn’t quite catch that.”

Kageyama clears his throat. “I asked if you wanted to go somewhere?”

Hinata grins, “Sure! Why not?”

They take a shower together (despite Kageyama’s protests that it will take twice as long) and Hinata takes at least another three pit stops on their way to the station for pictures (which Kageyama complains about but both Hinata and him know he really doesn’t mind).

“You know you still haven’t told me where you’re taking me,” Hinata says lightly, throwing Kageyama a sideways glance.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Hinata does figure it out when they reach the train station and he sees Kageyama buying tickets for the Shinkansen—to Miyagi.

“Tobio—?” Hinata calls quietly amidst the rush of people walking by the train platforms.

Kageyama looks at him and his lips curve upwards ever so slightly. “Let’s go home.” 

The train ride is around two hours and it’s plenty of time for Kageyama to learn just how much Hinata has changed. For starters, Hinata hadn’t gone for the window seat at all surprisingly. Despite his fixation on window seats in highschool, Hinata seemed to have no qualms with Kageyama sitting in the window seat this time. Hinata also doesn’t bounce in his chair every time he gets excited anymore—which Kageyama is sure the passengers behind him are grateful for. But instead of bouncing in his seat, Hinata grips Kageyama’s hand a little tighter, and obviously he has no complaints about that. And if Hinata’s especially excited about something, he doesn’t shout and yell at the top of his lungs anymore, no. Instead, he starts making weird gestures with his hands and, even if it looks funny for the first two minutes, Kageyama decides that it’s actually quite endearing. 

They reach Miyagi around late noon, and the first place Kageyama takes them to is none other than their high school. Hinata is laughing and dashing ahead, all smiles, and Kageyama’s heart has never felt fuller. 

“Come on Tobio!! We have to go into the gym together!!”

Kageyama rolls his eyes, jogging to catch up and he cocks his head at the door, gesturing for Hinata to enter first. Hinata pushes open the door and is met with the sound of shoes squeaking and volleyballs slamming against the court. Practice is clearly in session, and Hinata’s breath catches seeing the crowd of young faces in the court. There are _so_ _many_ members, and they all have that curious light in their eyes. 

“There are so many of them...” Hinata mumbles quietly, eyes scanning across the gym. 

“Of course there are. We made sure of that when we left,” Kageyama replies.

It takes around twenty seconds for the students to realise that there are two new adults in the room, and when they do, chaos ensues. They scramble over to the both of them, eyes wide in awe. Kageyama can’t blame them. If he was fourteen and he saw a whole twenty-two-year-old Hinata Shouyou he would undoubtedly be in the same position. The kids recognize the both of them surprisingly, and they end up taking a few pictures and signing volleyballs until their coach calls them back to practice.

They stay around to play volleyball with them for a while, Kageyama teaching them serves and tosses while Hinata focuses on spikes and receives. Hinata even recognizes a few of the students as siblings of his friends, and Kageyama tries not to die a little on the inside when he realises a half-hour in that he’s been teaching Oikawa’s nephew how to serve.

Kageyama manages to drag Hinata away an hour later with the promise of meat buns, and after successfully securing Sakanoshita’s entire stock of meat buns for the day in one very large bag, they finally make it to  _ their _ park.

Well, it’s not  _ their _ park anymore, Hinata realises when he notices the benches they used to sit on have disappeared. The grass also looks a lot nicer now, and there’s a playground in the distance where there used to just be an open field. 

“Tobio look! There’s a new playground over there—” he stops when he realises Kageyama isn’t actually next to him anymore, and he spins around trying to find him when the lights above him turn on. Except these don’t look like normal street lights at all. He can’t think of any reason why a park would trade bright floodlights for some dainty fairy lights, but they are quite pretty. He also doesn’t know why there’s a large blanket spread out a few meters ahead of him. He stares at it, squinting his eyes at the quilt as if it’s about to assault him.

Kageyama had sort of planned to make an entrance when Hinata sat down on the blanket he had spread out and read the note he had written because he was  _ not _ good with words, but he can only hold in his laughter for so long when his  _ fiancé  _ is having a staring competition with a stupid blanket. He sighs, getting out of his hiding position to approach the ginger. 

“You know, in all the movies we’ve watched together, whenever the boyfriend sets up a picnic spread under the stars the other person typically doesn’t glare at the blanket like it's about to eat him,” Kageyama half snorts, flicking the spiker’s forehead. 

Hinata flinches, scrunching his face in response. “Oh...you did this?? For me??” Hinata asks, his eyes bright and wide.

“If you’re actually asking me that you’re not getting any of the meat buns we just bought.”

Hinata recants his question immediately, grabbing Kageyama’s hand as he pulls him down onto the blanket. “You  _ wouldn’t. _ ”

Kageyama snorts, seeing Hinata’s despaired expression. “Yeah, I wouldn’t.” Hinata smiles, and paired with the fairy lights hanging above them, Kageyama thinks he knows why romance movies love this cliché scene so much.

They sit in silence for a while, and for the first time in two years, Kageyama can look up at the sky and appreciate the stars because he has the whole ass sun sitting right next to him already. 

“Tobio?” Hinata calls softly, even though he knows he already has Kageyama’s undivided attention. “Thank you, for everything.”

“You’re thanking  _ me _ ?” Kageyama asks pointedly. “If there’s anyone here that should be saying thanks it should be me.”

Hinata looks like he gets lost in his thoughts before he flashes a skeptical look at Kageyama. “Mmm, I don’t think so... _ you’re _ the one that had to wait for me while I was in Brazil the entire time!”

“Hinata, come on,” Kageyama scoffs rolling his eyes. “Just eat your meatbuns and shut up,” Kageyama says, grabbing a meatbun and shoving it in Hinata’s mouth.

Hinata grumbles as he swallows the rest of his indignation along with the rest of the meatbun, grabbing another one as soon as he’s done. “But I’m being serious, you know? If I didn’t know you were waiting for me all that time I was in Brazil it would have been a lot harder for me to keep working as hard as I did. So at least own up to that, Bakageyama,” Hinata giggles, shoving the rest of his meatbun in Kageyama’s mouth.

Kageyama rolls his eyes, swallowing the remnants of the meatbun. “You might have changed after going to Brazil, but you’re still a dumbass after all.”

Hinata lets out an affronted gasp, shoving Kageyama with his shoulder. “I’m trying to be romantic here, stop ruining it you ass! And don’t call me a dumbass if you can’t even explain why you think I’m wrong.” 

Kageyama sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know what, come here,” Kageyama calls, gesturing to his lap. He watches as Hinata perks up like a puppy before excitedly crawling over him, sitting so he’s facing Kageyama. “I was saving this for the wedding vows, but what the hell,” Kageyama lets out a shaky breath before looking into Hinata’s expectant eyes. “Shouyou you know how I was the first time we met. That match...was shortly after my grandfather-”

“...passed away. I remember you told me in high school. But if you’re going to talk about how you were back then I don’t want to hear it because that was  _ not _ your fault,” Hinata says sternly, but with all the fondness in the world.

Kageyama lets out a laugh. “Calm down idiot, just let me talk.” He exhales heavily before continuing. “I had nothing Shō. I had no one. My parents were barely home, Miwa moved out, and the only thing I cared about was being taken away from me. Volleyball was my everything, and no one understood. It was like the only link to my grandfather was being taken away from me.”

“Tobio-”

“And then I met you,” Kageyama says firmly, a little louder, because this is the only part of his story he’s confident about. “And I felt like my entire world shook because you were everything I didn’t know I needed.” He doesn’t even realise he let a tear slip out until Hinata swipes a thumb gently under his eye to wipe it away. “And I know I’m not good with words—I’ve never been good at them-”

Hinata laughs, his eyes glistening with tears too. “You’re doing good, Tobio.”

“But I remember my grandfather telling me that if I keep getting stronger, I could keep playing...and that I would  _ definitely _ meet someone stronger right in front of me—and I’ve been waiting for that moment Shō, because I knew it’d be you. It’s always been you, from the start.” Kageyama pulls his arm away from Hinata, reaching into his back pocket, and Hinata lets out a loud sob, tears spilling down his cheeks as he sees Kageyama pull out a ring box. “Because in the end, it seems like all I’ve ever done in my life is making my way here to you,” Kageyama pries open the box slowly, gently pulling the ring out. “Shouyou, you were there for me when I had nothing. So I want you to be there with me when I have everything,” Kageyama exhales shakily, taking Hinata’s hand in his. “I can’t promise I’ll be perfect, but I promise you, no one will work harder to make you happy or cherish you more than me.” He grips the ring tightly between his fingers. So...Hinata Shouyou, will you marry me?”

Hinata nods,“ _ Yes _ , yes, yes, a million times over,” he replies, letting Kageyama slip the ring on his finger before tackling Kageyama until he’s laying flat on his back with Hinata on top of him. 

Hinata kisses him, whispering at the corner of his lips in the way Kageyama absolutely adores.

_ “I told you I’d come back to you.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love them so much it's not even funny. I hope I ended this well!! Come scream at me on twitter I'm @chocolavi_ or @hinata.short.yo on Instagram!! 
> 
> Also the lovely Alejandra drew fanart for this and I am in TEARS. You can read the lil comic [here!!](https://www.instagram.com/p/CDCCIscgu_T/) Make sure to check out her art!!


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